I have $47 in gift cards to Olive Garden. Wife and I are going to live it up something fierce. What would you order?

Are you from the Midwest? You should come to New York or Southern NJ some time and go to a real Italian restaurant. The difference will blow you away.

Italian food is all about quality ingredients. OG and other chain Italian places use shit ingredients -> they make shitty food. They also substitute fat for flavor.

Yes, I am from the Midwest. Chipotel Chex Mix makes my forehead sweat (seriously). I do not doubt that NY has good Italian. I've been to NYC twice, but never did get a chance to eat Italian. All I can say is that, to me, OG makes great Italian food...I love it.

$47 wrote:

Yes, I am from the Midwest.

Where in the Midwest? Mall country?

Any decent sized town will have a better Mom and Pop Italian restaurant, but if you grew up thinking Pizza Hut is pizza, Taco Bell is Mexican and a bakery is Dunkin Donuts there is no sense in arguing with you.

My condolences.

I grew up not eating out much, because our family didn't have a lot of "discretionary" money. I don't like Mexican food, so I don't care for the Bell. I also don't care for pastries, etc. that much, so I admit that I've never been to a Dunkin Donuts. I've been to Europe several times and have gone to, what I was told, some outstanding restaurants. I was never really impressed by a $30 plate of food in Europe. However, I did go to a Brazilian bbq in Sao Paulo, and that was outstanding.

NJ Possible wrote:

With all honestly I feel bad for you guys. Did you not have a mom who could cook growing up? I simply cannot imagine someone with taste buds and memory intact thinking food from the Olive Garden is even approaching decent Italian food. It isn't.

My mom cooked pretty well. Olive Garden may not be authentic Italian food, but it's fine enough to eat. Just like a vast majority of chain restaurants are.

I live in a large city with a lot of very fine one-of-a-kind places, so I don't go to the chains very often. I haven't been to Olive Garden. I did like Outback quite a bit. I think Applebee's is a 4 on a scale of 1 to 10. Actually, make that 3. Pizza Hut is not pizza and Taco Bell isn't food by any definition of that word.

???????? wrote:

$47 wrote:

Yes, I am from the Midwest.

Where in the Midwest? Mall country?

Any decent sized town will have a better Mom and Pop Italian restaurant, but if you grew up thinking Pizza Hut is pizza, Taco Bell is Mexican and a bakery is Dunkin Donuts there is no sense in arguing with you.

My condolences.

Please list some of your favorites so Big Billie can belly up to the table and try a real meal when visting your area.

Big Billie wrote:

???????? wrote:

Where in the Midwest? Mall country?

Any decent sized town will have a better Mom and Pop Italian restaurant, but if you grew up thinking Pizza Hut is pizza, Taco Bell is Mexican and a bakery is Dunkin Donuts there is no sense in arguing with you.

My condolences.

Please list some of your favorites so Big Billie can belly up to the table and try a real meal when visting your area.

Cheaper Favorites, none are high end just good food, casual dress and no reservations necessary:

The thing with these chain restaurants is you're paying $10-15 for a dinner entree. Still not much but if I felt like "eating out" for pasta or a burger I would just go to the grocery myself, use the same amount of $, cook, and come out with a much better tasting and healthier plate of food. OG tastes like butter, salt, and fat poured over spaghetti and the only reason I liked it in HS is because I didn't know any better.

Ron Swanson wrote:

The thing with these chain restaurants is you're paying $10-15 for a dinner entree. Still not much but if I felt like "eating out" for pasta or a burger I would just go to the grocery myself, use the same amount of $, cook, and come out with a much better tasting and healthier plate of food. OG tastes like butter, salt, and fat poured over spaghetti and the only reason I liked it in HS is because I didn't know any better.

It's amazing how many college CC Teams eat there before major meets. Idiots!

Dirty Jerz wrote:

Are you from the Midwest? You should come to New York or Southern NJ some time and go to a real Italian restaurant. The difference will blow you away.

Italian food is all about quality ingredients. OG and other chain Italian places use shit ingredients -> they make shitty food. They also substitute fat for flavor.

There are far better Italian restaurants in the Midwest, too. Nothing in New York would blow me away.

That being said, Olive Garden is cheap and decent. It isn't as good as a great Italian restaurant, but I'm not saying it is. The fact that it isn't the best Italian restaurant doesn't mean that I would never eat it.

No one goes to Applebee's because they think it is better than a top steakhouse, but it is solid and a lot cheaper.

I live in NYC and within 400m of my house are 20 or so owner-operated restaurants. Subway and Dunkin are the only chain places in the 400m circle. Many have the second and third generations running the places. Chains are not needed here our neighbors feed us and exactly like they would do if we went to their houses. A couple of the places do have sister stores in other areas run by sons or inlaws are running them. Another is part of a 10 store NYC minichain but it has an equity partner running each location and is a closed family run corp.

I agree some chains can be OK but given the choice I'd rather go to an owner-operated place. Native/first generation cooks cooking native dishes using family recipes adds dimension and nuance to the food that formulaic places can not.

Choices abound too, Chinese,Japanese,Irish Pub, New American, Italian, Mexican,Sushi, Pizza, Brazilian, Greek,Columbian, Argentinan plus a Juiceatarian and a Veganistic place.

If I want fresh bagels I go to the Mexican/Armenian couples' store on the next corner, you know the one with the Nigerian guy working the counter!!!!!!!

The Greasy Spoon of 1928 vintage has evolved into a New American run by the grandsons of the founder. Their Dad went to Johnson&Wales and one is a French Culinary Institute grad and the younger brother is a CIA guy.

Some folks are just luckier than others in being able to avoid chainplaces.

and many of these "family restaurants" get their ingredients from the same chain distributors such as Reinhart Foods who may also provide to OG.

My Two Cents wrote:

I would say, "Waiter, bring me a bottle of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 1982." Then I would order the soup and salad.

What kind of a slob are you? I think you mean "GARCON, bring me a bottle of Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1982."

More Emerald Nuts wrote:

My Two Cents wrote:

I would say, "Waiter, bring me a bottle of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 1982." Then I would order the soup and salad.

What kind of a slob are you? I think you mean "GARCON, bring me a bottle of Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1982."

Assuming you could find a Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac 1982 in a package store, expect to pay about 100 times more than the $47 value of the coupons at retail and twice that plus in a restaurant.

swineturtle wrote:

Assuming you could find a Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac 1982 in a package store, expect to pay about 100 times more than the $47 value of the coupons at retail and twice that plus in a restaurant.

Ya think so? Darn. I was hoping to enjoy a nice bottle at my local Olive Garden.